Admiration and Affection
by kmairif
Summary: Maria Lucas has been lucky enough to go to London to enjoy her very own Season...well, actually, she has been lucky enough to be invited along to join Georgiana Darcy and Kitty Bennet's Season, but it's still her best chance to catch a husband. My first attempt at a 'One-Shot' - this follows on from the events in my earlier work, 'Prudence and Peril.'


She really did look very pretty, Maria thought to herself, turning this way and that before the huge looking glass. She may not be rich, but she was certainly very pretty. And she was a knight's daughter, so not entirely insignificant in society's estimation. A frown crossed her youthful brow as she considered further,_ Surely if my sister, who is lovely in spirit but truly very plain, can catch two husbands in quick succession, then I must be able to find one_.

For this was the purpose that had drawn Maria Lucas to London. Yes, she was aware that she was very much a third in the party of Georgiana Darcy and Kitty Bennet, both of whom held much larger dowries than Maria, but she had not seen either of them make any efforts to seriously interest any of the young men who tended to surround their party, much to the frustration of Lady Russell who was acting as their patron in town.

_Yes_, thought Maria, _I have as good a chance, if not or better one, as Georgie or Kitty do of catching a handsome (and wealthy) young husband this Season_.

She finished her preparations and went out onto the landing, where Georgiana and Kitty were waiting for her. A look passed between them and, as usual, they seemed to communicate wordlessly with each other. Maria felt distinctly _de trop_. It was not that the other two were unkind to her, indeed she knew that they liked her very well, but she never quite felt that she was truly included in their confidences. She was always aware of simply not being quite on the same page as them when it came to many things. Just as at this moment the two young women appeared to have made some sort of silent decision between them that Maria could not comprehend. It was Kitty who voiced their thoughts,

"Do you not perhaps consider, dearest Maria, that the hem of your dress may be just a touch too high to be…appropriate?"

Kitty looked down towards her ankles, frowning again, "Surely not, Kitty, the dressmaker assured me that the newest fashion was for slightly raised hemlines for dancing dresses. I am sure that Miss Campbell's frock last night was a good inch shorter than this one, and no one though anything of that, did they?"

Georgiana entered the fray at this stage, "Yes, Maria, we did notice her hemline, as did many others I am sure, although nothing was said. Besides, Miss Campbell is considered rather…fast…"

Maria looked doubtful now. True, Georgiana's associations with the Bennet sisters had resulted in her becoming much more forthright than she had been previously, but she still remained quietly polite in almost all circumstances. If _she_ thought that the hemline was 'fast', and was willing to voice such an opinion, then Maria could really be in trouble. However, a summons from Lady Russell downstairs forestalled further considerations. That Lady's eyes certainly did linger on Maria's apparel and she appeared ready to say something, when the head footman announced a new arrival,

"Captain Stafford, my Lady."

Lady Russell turned to greet her guest, "Ah Captain, we are delighted that you could escort us tonight, it is so kind of you."

The Captain, who was a man of middle years, and middle height, with looks that must have once been fine but were now fading somewhat, bowed courteously to the young ladies. He was well known to them all as he was an old friend and frequent visitor to Mrs Russell's London home. He offered both of his arms to whichever ladies cared to take them, and Lady Russell and Georgiana attached themselves to him, chattering amiably as they made their way to the carriage outside. Kitty and Maria followed behind them, with Maria making what she hoped were surreptitious attempts to tug down the skirt of her dress, an action which did have the desired effect of bringing the hem closer to her ankles, but which also dragged the bodice down further so that, unbeknownst to her, she now exhibited even more décolletage than the already low cut neckline had originally exposed.

* * *

The ball was not a success. It was a truly dreadful crush with more people packed into the rooms that could be comfortably accommodated. Thus it was of course talked of afterwards as a tremendous success, but for those who actually attended the event it was hot, noisy, uncomfortable, and resulted in more than one of the ladies leaving with feet that had been repeatedly trodden on in the melee. The evening was made even more unpleasant for Maria by her constant battles with her frock, as she tugged and pulled at it in both directions for most of the evening. None of her more favoured beaus were in attendance, and she had only five dances, all with men whose eyes seemed to fixate upon a point some eight to ten inches below her own for the duration of their time on the floor.

Captain Stafford had asked Maria to dance towards the end of the evening, but she was so frustrated with the whole evening at this point that she had declined him with little grace and the excuse of a headache. She did however promise him her hand at the next ball at which they should find themselves, with a less than tactful, "For I am indeed honoured by your asking me Captain, as I know that men of your years often do not take to the dance floor with any great alacrity."

Captain Stafford had made a polite rejoinder and had faded away into the crowd, leaving Maria to join a group of her female acquaintances who were occupying themselves with gossip whilst they awaited any further opportunities to dance. With no further eligible young men approaching to mark her dance card for the remainder of the evening, Maria found herself asking if her companions might be ready to leave at the unfashionably early hour of midnight, and was grateful when they acquiesced. She left the ball thoroughly disheartened and vowed to gift the wretched dress to a much shorter lady as soon as possible.

* * *

The next morning dawned bright, and Maria made a resolution to make the most of it, and of the limited number of days left to her in London. She was well aware that she was unlikely to have another Season, as her father's financial situation precluded any such expense, _And so_, she told herself, _I must make every second of this one count!_ She sat herself before her dressing mirror and began to dress her hair in her favourite style, taking care to frame her delicate features to their very best with her lovely curls.

Downstairs Kitty and Lady Russell were entertaining Captain Stafford, who was an almost constant feature in the house, and whose arrival could be expected and was welcomed at any hour between 11 and 6 daily. "The other young ladies are well this morning I hope," he asked of his hostesses, "Miss Darcy and Miss Lucas are not too fatigued after last night's scrimmage?"

Kitty laughed, "Oh not at all, Captain, Georgie is still above stairs because she is simply too lazy to rouse herself, and I believe that Maria is engaged in the morning ritual of titivation which seems to provide so much enjoyment to her. I am too impatient to enjoy such things, which is probably why I always have dark patches under my eyes and hair like a bird's nest!"

Lady Russell looked somewhat askance at her charge's words, and was beginning her admonishment with a curt, "Catherine!" when the Captain cut in with a swift, "I am certain that a young woman of Miss Lucas's beauty requires no artifice in order to improve her looks." Lady Russell gave him an assessing look, and he hurried on abruptly, "and Miss Darcy, of course, is not in need of any more beauty sleep."

"I note that you say nothing of my bird's nest though, Captain." Kitty said with a laugh as the door opened to admit a perfectly coiffed Maria. Kitty hugged the new arrival briefly as she herself made to leave the room, "Pray excuse me Captain, I had better tame my locks and my tongue, lest Lady Russell decides to chop one or the other before letting me leave the house again!"

Maria looked at the remaining parties in the room in some confusion, noting the Captain's amused smile and Lady Russell's disapproving 'tutt'. "Is Kitty being outrageous again?" she asked, and was answered only by a sigh and a slight nod from Lady Russell.

"However, you can certainly help to make up for her child. Pray sit down at the pianoforte and play something for us. Show the Captain that I have more than savages in my household!" She sounded fierce, but there was a twinkle to her eye that told of the affection in which she held all of her charges.

* * *

Maria exhibited well at the piano. Her playing was light, and pleasant, and proficient, and she sang sweetly, without affectation. At the end of her first piece, the Captain appeared by her side to congratulate her upon the performance. "You should sing more often my dear Miss Lucas, for you are denying many a great pleasure by hiding your talents at home like this."

It was a pretty compliment, and Maria blushed equally prettily,

"Thank you Captain. I do appreciate your words, especially as I know that you are a connoisseur of good music. However, I fear that young men do not seem terribly interested in singing and pianoforte playing, so I must keep my dancing shoes on and attend more crushes like last night, if I am to make a success of my Season."

Captain Stafford murmured something that was too low for Maria to catch, and then covered it with a short cough. He moved away as Maria started a second tune, but she was aware for some time that his eyes kept straying back to her for the duration of his visit, and she was equally aware that his attention made her feel prickly and jumpy for the first time in their acquaintance.

* * *

The entertainment that night was to be another ball. This time Maria dressed with more care and chose a tried and tested dress in blue silks which complemented her eyes. It also had a decorous hemline and a bodice which caused her no troubles and exposed only as much as she was comfortable with. Georgiana and Kitty both complimented her when they met to compare outfits this time. "I love that dress Maria, and I am so jealous that you can wear the colour so well," said Georgiana, "My pale skin makes me look as if I am suffering from some terrible ailment when I wear blue, but you look radiant." It was a much happier Maria who left the house that night.

And happier was she still when they reached the party. Within moments, she had espied the three most eligible young men who had been following their group throughout the Season, and she was delighted to have her dance card marked by all of them twice. It was a notable achievement, even though she noted that they all marked the same number of dances on Georgiana's and Kitty's cards. _Still_, she thought to herself, _there are three of them and three of us, which means that we can have one each – and they are all fine prospects_.

The first young man was the third son of a minor noble family, and was as handsome a young man as Maria had encountered. Unfortunately their first dance was filled mostly by his conversation about the commission his father was about to buy for him in the army, and their second dance was filled with his rather unsubtle queries about Miss Darcy's views on a number of subjects. Maria shrugged off the disappointment easily enough. There were still two good prospects left, and she had often said in company that she did not really want to be a soldier's wife anyway.

The second young man proved even more disappointing. He came to her after his first dance with Kitty and was noticeably low-spirited. His one effort at making a compliment fell far from success when he mentioned that he admired her dress, 'just as he had admired it the last time he saw it'. Maria learned afterwards in a whispered conversation with her friend that this young man had actually attempted to make a rather stumbling offer for Kitty's hand during the dance. Something which was both lacking in propriety and, as Kitty had pointed out to the unfortunate individual, lacking in any sort of grasp of the lady's feelings towards him. Kitty was somewhat pained to say that she had actually laughed at the gentleman when he had asked her, so surprised was she. Her apology had been quick, but she simply had not the tact to mend the situation and the remainder of the dance had been most uncomfortable. "Still," she said with a smile to Maria and Georgiana, "at least I can safely say that he will not be asking me again!"

The second young man had cried off his second dance with all the ladies and had left the ball soon afterwards.

With only one of her prospects remaining, Maria quickly retreated to the retiring room to make certain that her appearance was adequate to the forthcoming task. Satisfied, she was just making her way back to the ballroom when she chanced to overhear her name. The voice she recognised immediately as her forthcoming dance partner, and she ducked behind a large plant in order to hear what he had to say about her.

"Yes, I have Miss Lucas for the next two, my dear sister, but you need not fear, I have no intention of pursuing the chit. However, she is constantly in company with the Darcy girl, and may prove a useful way to further my suit there. Other than that, she has a great deal of hair but appears to have very little wit, and not even any fortune to soften the deficiency!"

Both parties laughed as they passed by, and Maria felt the bottom fall out of her stomach. She knew that she was a lesser prospect than Georgiana, but to be mocked in such a cruel manner was beyond what she would ever have expected. She was horrified. Was this how every young man thought of her? As a way to get to Georgiana? As a prospect so poor that not even her looks could be held up as an asset? She was crushed, and stood quite unmoving in the hallway for a lengthy period. It was thus that Captain Stafford came upon her and, noting immediately that something was gravely amiss, saw her seated in a quiet corner and retreated to find Lady Russell with some haste.

Although Maria was unable to speak of her distress, her patron was quick to see that it was not a passing fancy, and quickly arranged for the whole party to depart. Once home, Maria sought sanctuary in her room, and tried to ignore the entreaties of her two friends to allow them access. Finally, when it became clear that they were not going leave her be, she grudgingly admitted them, and tearfully related the story to them in all of her angry humiliation. They were deeply moved.

"This ends now," Georgiana cried. "This Season has been nothing more than a waste of time and money and a cause of hurt and distress. Maria, dearest, Kitty and I have no intention of accepting the suit of any man who might offer for us. We are determined to return home unwed." She glanced across at Kitty meaningfully, "Marriage would not…suit…either of us."

Kitty reached both of her hands across and took Maria's. "But we see that all that our presence has done is to put you in an impossible position. You haven't had the chance to shine. To seek out company on your own. You have always had to go where we go, meet who we meet, and we are not unmindful of the fact that, frightful as it is to admit aloud, most young men seek a fortune before a fair heart."

"It is unfair," Georgiana continued, "both to you and to any actually honourable young men out there to pretend that Kitty or myself are actually on the marriage market. This Season ends for us now."

Maria was too upset to take in much of what was being said, and was too exhausted after baring her soul to do much more than to allow her friends to tuck her securely into her bed and watch over her while she fell into a fitful sleep.

* * *

The next day, Maria awoke to a house full of activity. The servants were frenetically busy, carrying chests and laundering linens. She emerged from her room, without devoting her usual time to her appearance, and sought the eye of the storm to ascertain what was afoot. She found Lady Russell and Georgiana in the Morning Room, directing affairs as half of the household seemed to be being packed away. Wearily Maria looked about her, "What is happening, Lady Russell, are we leaving town so soon?"

Georgiana spun to greet her, and answered for their hostess, "No, no, Maria, you are not going anywhere. Kitty and I are going home, not you. My brother and Lizzy are in town and I have been to see them this morning to tell them in no uncertain terms that my Season, and Kitty's Season, is over. It is all arranged, we are to return to Pemberley, and you are to stay here for the remainder of the Season with Lady Russell."

That Lady interposed, with a gentle, "If that is what you wish, Maria?"

Maria, backed away in confusion. "I do not know…to stay here without you…I cannot know…must everything be so rushed?" and with that she turned and ran out, through the Hallway, and into the peace of the small garden to the side of the house.

It was here, sitting on a bench, fervently embracing one of the coachmen's dogs, that Captain Stafford found her.

She turned a tearstained face up to him when he requested permission to sit, and said woefully,

"You may sit or stand as you wish, Captain, I am entirely at your disposal now, and can carry any messages or tokens to my friends as you wish. But you must hurry, as I believe that my usefulness in that area may be about to expire – they are leaving town you see. As they do not wish to be pursued by any of the young men who have fallen in love with them and who have singularly failed to even notice me!"

At this, she dissolved into unladylike sobs, and buried her face in the fur of the somewhat alarmed hound's neck. After some moments, she felt gentle hands loosen her grip on the unfortunate animal, who took the opportunity to escape at speed. Captain Stafford placed a gentle hand under her chin and raised her head, forcing her to meet his own eyes. "Maria Lucas, if you place a worth upon yourself that is so low that it can even be touched by the actions of such insignificant pups as those young men last night, then you need a serious shake."

She looked at him in astonishment, both at his words and at the sensation that his fingertips on her jawline was causing. She had held hands with numerous young men over the course of the previous weeks, but she did not recall the same heat emanating from their hands as seemed to be imprinting itself on her skin at this lightest of touches. Captain Stafford seemed impervious to the effect he was having upon her as he continued,

"Can you not see that to any man of sense you are a treasure worth far more than any fortune? Can you really fail to understand that there are some who would value you more greatly than the largest dowry that riches could offer?"

He seemed belatedly to collect himself, and realise that he had gone too far.

"Mar…Miss Lucas, I came here to console you, and have revealed far more than I should have. I know that to you I am nothing but an 'old soldier', and that you could never think of me as more than this. But take me at least as evidence that there are men in the world who can see and know your true worth. Put those fools out of your mind and look for better men, men who will value you as you should be valued."

He sighed, and rose from the bench, "I will send Lady Russell to you, for she will likely be more comfort than I, but please try, dear Miss Lucas, to understand that not all men are alike to those…individuals that you have thus far encountered. Some of us are more worthy." With that, he turned to leave, but was forestalled by a hand on his arm and an urgent entreaty to "Wait!" from a breathless Maria, who now stood before him.

"I rather think," she began, "that I may have been wilfully blind to a number of things."

He looked down at her in some confusion as she smiled up at him, shyly. "Captain, will you do a few things for me, by way of an experiment?"

"I am yours…to command," he replied with gallantry and an edge of trepidation, although his breathing, Maria noted, had accelerated dramatically since her hand had rested upon his person.

"Please tell me how old, this 'old soldier' actually is, Captain."

"I am six and thirty, Maria, old enough to be your father, in truth."

"Hmmm, only if you started very early," was Maria's reply, which prompted a guffaw of nervous laughter from the Captain. "You have been spending too much time with Miss Bennet I think," he managed, eventually.

"Perhaps," Maria smiled openly, "and you seem to be in England rather a lot for a soldier…you may have heard me say before that I do not wish to marry a soldier?"

"Indeed I have," the Captain replied, beginning to gain confidence in the conversation, "and I can report with pleasure that, with the end of the recent hostilities on the continent, I no longer intend to serve, and can further assure the lady that I am in possession of a rather pretty estate in Lincolnshire which wants for nothing more than a mistress…that is to say…not _a mistress_…I mean, what I would propose…"

Maria was laughing openly now, "I believe in the honour of your intentions, Sir. But there is one last thing before I invite you to make me any offer which you may see fit."

Her companion was all attention now, as she stepped closer to him and placed her hands upon his arms, stood on tiptoes, and whispered at length in his ear.

"I am most happy to oblige in the experiment you suggest, Miss Lucas, if you will allow me the liberty?" and he swept her into his arms for a kiss that went a long way to showing her that the touch of his fingers to her face was nothing in comparison to the touch of his lips upon hers.


End file.
